GlassHouse breaks into UK storage
US consultancy buys two VARs to form services 'gorilla'
Two of the UK's largest storage VARs have been bought by a US giant to create the biggest independent storage consulting company in the world.
Source Consulting and Sagitta Performance Systems were bought for an undisclosed sum in a stock deal by GlassHouse Technologies.
The combined company will be known as GlassHouse Technologies UK.
Jason Rabbetts, former head of Source Consulting, is the new UK managing director of GlassHouse, and former Sagitta head Andy Norman has been named as the firm's senior vice-president of technology services.
Rabbetts claimed the acquisition will create a "gorilla" in the storage services industry.
"Up until now there have only been what I would call storage boutiques, but this has created a global presence. It is something vendors and clients have been looking for," Rabbetts claimed.
Norman said: "This has certainly put daylight between ourselves and our competitors, and has given the whole storage industry a wake-up call. I'm sure the opposition will be watching us very closely."
GlassHouse has also created a European arm, ready for further expansion later in the year. This will be headed by Mark Vargo, its managing director EMEA.
Rabbetts said the acquisition will not result in any job losses, and the firm is looking to increase its headcount by 30 per cent.
Mark Shirman, chief executive of GlassHouse, said: "We had planned on European expansion by the end of this year, particularly in the UK, and when we heard that Sagitta and Source were planning to come together we thought it would be a good idea to triangulate."
Jon Collins, principal analyst at Quocirca, said the deal should be welcomed by the industry.
"It is a good idea in principle, but whether or not the company will take over the world remains to be seen," he added.